Witch of the East
by Aerohead
Summary: How Dorothy Gale goes from the little girl of Wizard of Oz and Wicked fame to fanfic notoriety. Dorothy and Ozma's first year at Shiz, and why Dorothy changed.
1. Another View of Dorothy Gale

Title: Witch of the East

Author: Aerohead

Email: in my profile

Website: In my profile

Pairing: Mention of Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda, and Glinda/OC, also has Dorothy/OC

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. Thank you for giving me the first part.

Warning: spoiler for the ending of the musical Wicked, but that's pretty much about it.

Genre: Romance, slight drama

Summary: What happened at Shiz University that made Dorothy Gale who she now is at twenty-eight years old.

Author's Notes: I was writing _When Your Dreams Come True_, and realized that, except for the passing remarks in _Entertaining Destiny_, I never really made any concrete ideas about why Dorothy turned out the way she did. So...here it is. This will be updated infrequently, since I'll only work on it when I have writer's block for _When Your Dreams Come True_. Though at the moment, that looks like it means this will be updated more frequently than I thought. And holiday bonus points for whomever can guess what classic novel I stole chapter one's title from.

Chapter One: Another View of Dorothy Gale

It had been seven years since the fateful day when Dorothy Gale's house fell on the Honorable Nessarose Thropp, Governor of Munchkin land. And on that very day since then, people prayed and honored the Unnamed One for sending them a hero. Then, after the three weeks it took for Dorothy to journey from the Emerald City to Kiamo Ko, the citizens of Oz would celebrate the deaths of both Wicked Witches.

Of course, not everyone celebrated, and it was understandable. The Winkies did not like the celebrations because they adored the Wicked Witch of the West, fondly calling her 'Auntie Witch', and remembering the affair between her and their beloved prince. Many people believed that was why the Vinkus seceded from Oz. However, no one was sure.

In the past seven years, many things had happened. The young princess Ozma had been miraculously found, and would be granted rule next to Glinda the Good after she graduated from Shiz University. Ozma had become like a daughter to Glinda, though the two looked nothing alike. Ozma was beautiful, as was Glinda, but that was where the unreal family appearance ended. Ozma had very long, very wavy light brown hair that she usually kept down, – she had allowed her hair to grow out and stay down once she had become a young adult – her eyes were brown, and she was tall, like most Gillikins.

Of course, Glinda, too, had changed. She was still small and airy, but there was more intelligence and love in those blue eyes than there had ever been during the Age of Wonder. She had birthed a child, who many believed was a gift from the Unnamed One for Glinda's wonderful virtues. Glinda had confided in her 'other children' that the baby was actually the Unnamed One's way of making her remember her late fiancée, Fiyero. The child was named Nissa, a name closely related to the former Witch of the East's. Many people were in an uproar about the name, but Glinda held fast and true and the child came to be loved.

Glinda had also become engaged again. This time it was to an older Gillikin lord named Bromley. He was a widower, whose wife, a Munchkin woman, had died giving birth to his son two years before Dorothy appeared. Glinda had promised to marry Bromley after he came back from an expedition to Merryland. The man's son was the boring sort, and a bookish one even at nine. It surprised everyone when he decided to go with his father for the two-year journey.

For the most part, Glinda had been a single mother, with benefits. As a ruler, she did not have much time for motherly things, as Lord Bromley always pointed out to her. She also ruled by herself, not allotting time to be a child-rearer. So the job had come down to the Tinman, a loyal member of Dorothy's party, who treated the child as his own. Of course, he and Ozma spoilt the child terribly, but no one seemed to notice nor care.

And in those seven years, Dorothy Gale had returned to them. She returned when she was eleven, and stayed with Glinda and Ozma, and was, like Ozma, promised a position next to Glinda once she finished school.

Dorothy had grown into a very pretty young girl. Her pigtails had been cast aside for a perfect, though loose, bun. Her hair was still its deep brown color, and her eyes were still dark, but her skin had become paler while in the Emerald City and away from farm work and her figure had become leaner, though she was still broad.

After seven years, seven years of being placed on a pedestal and waited upon, Dorothy Gale was now about to embark on her greatest adventure – university.

"Miss?" said a scared Munchkin servant as she cracked open the door to Dorothy's room.

"Yes?" Dorothy asked, looking up. Her room was plainer than usual, as she had packed most of the pretty things Glinda had given her away for Shiz.

The servant opened the door more, now slightly bolder. She curtseyed to Dorothy, and kept her eyes on the ground. "Miss Glinda told me to inform you that the train will be in the Emerald City within two hours, so you best finish packing and come downstairs." She said.

Dorothy nodded. "Of course; can you tell her that I'm almost done now? I'll just need to pack one more thing."

The Munchkin nodded, before fleeing the room, leaving the door ajar. Dorothy looked around the room, picking up a picture of her Aunt and Uncle. They were still in Kansas, with Toto – if her were still alive – and she was so far away from them. But she had chosen to go away. She put the picture down, before picking up a small broken piece of green glass. It was her memento of what had happened in Kiamo Ko; a piece of the Witch's crystal ball. She had made it into a necklace, and she placed it carefully in the small jewelry bag she had packed. She closed her bags and looked around the room again, before letting out a relieved sigh and collapsing onto her bed.

She heard the door creek, and didn't bother to get up. "I'm done, Miss, you can go tell Glinda I'll be down soon." She called.

"I'm not telling Glinda anything." Ozma said, leaning over the bags to look at Dorothy. "You can tell her yourself." She picked up a bag, and nearly toppled over. "They have their own rooms at Shiz, you know." She teased, weighing the bag.

Dorothy got up and picked up the other bag, shrugging as best she could with the load. "Well...we have a saying in Kansas: it's better to be safe than sorry."

Ozma shook her head as she started down the stairs towards the Main Hall of the Palace. Stumbling, she put the bag down, as did Dorothy.

"Girls!" called Glinda, coming down the stairs from her office. She smiled at them as she reached the two much taller young women, and hugged each of them. "It's going to be so quiet here without you. You'll come back for Lurlinemas and the Feasts of Saint Glinda and Aelphaba, oh, and of course the Festival Month, won't you?" she asked.

Dorothy hugged the small woman, laughing. "Of course we will!" She said.

"We'll try to." Ozma said, giving Dorothy a critical look. "But we may not be allowed out of school that much." She said as she hugged Glinda.

"Where're you going?" asked Nissa. She had come running into the room, followed closely by the Tinman, and had stopped dead at the sight of the baggage. Her big blue eyes started to well with tears, and she turned around towards Dorothy and Ozma. "Why are you leaving?" the seven-year-old asked.

Dorothy went over and picked Nissa up, looking at the miniature version of Glinda. She pushed a strand of blonde hair out of the girl's face, and kissed her forehead. "Ozma and I are going to school, but you can come visit us, and we'll come visit you."

"Will you be back before Tin and the Bad Man?" she asked.

Dorothy turned, slightly confused. "'Tin and the Bad Man?'" she repeated. "Who are they?"

Glinda sighed, slightly irritated, as she came over and took Nissa from Dorothy. "She means Destin and Bromley, don't you?" Glinda asked.

"No, I mean Tin and the Bad Man." Nissa said. "I heard the Tinman talking about them to the Gump, and he said that Bombily is a bad man." She said.

"That's Lord _Bromley_," Glinda corrected, before turning her gaze toward the Tinman. "And you think Bromley's a bad man?" she asked him.

The Tinman looked abashed. "I didn't think anyone was listening." He said to himself, before coming over to Glinda and taking Nissa from him. Nissa hugged his neck tightly. "And you don't need a man in your life, Glinda. Look, you're family's perfect without one!" He said. He and Nissa pouted for her, and Glinda shook her head. The Tinman hugged Nissa tighter and she giggled. He leaned over to her and whispered, "I never thought I'd say that to her," before putting Nissa down.

"I never thought you'd be one to say such a thing either, Tinman." Glinda reprimanded, before turning back to the girls sweetly. "But this isn't about all that. It's about these two girls going to Shiz and becoming wonderful scholars!" She hugged the girls again, and the Tinman followed suit. Nissa tugged on Ozma's skirt, and the brunette leaned down so that she was the same size as Nissa.

"What is it, Nissa?" she asked.

"Can you get me tons and tons of presents from Shiz?" She asked.

"I can get you some books." Ozma said.

Nissa made a face and pouted. "No books! Books are boring!" She yelled. Dorothy giggled and leaned down also.

"What if we get you some Vinkus silks?" she asked.

"Will they be pretty?" The little girl asked, her bright blue eyes going wide.

"The prettiest you've ever seen!" promised Dorothy.

"Okay!" Nissa said, jumping up and down. "Mommy, Dorothy's getting me pretty silks from Winkie Country!" She sang as she hugged her mother's leg.

"That the Vinkus, Nissie. It's not nice to call it Winkie Country." Glinda said.

"Why?" asked Nissa.

"Because it hurts their feelings." Said Glinda.

"Why?"

"Because it's mean."

"Why?"

"Because I say so, Nissa!" said Glinda, on her last nerve.

"Okay."

A Munchkin came running into the Main Hall from the Entry Room, huffing and puffing as he came. The Tinman caught the man before he fell over, and held him up. "There's...there's...there's a...something at the door wishing to bid Misses Dorothy and Ozma good luck." He managed.

"Well, let him in." Glinda said.

"I, uh, let myself in if it's alright. I didn't know if he'd make it back." The Scarecrow said. Towed behind him was a small Winkie girl.

"Scarecrow!" yelled Dorothy, running over to him and hugging him tightly. "I've missed you." She said earnestly.

"I've missed you, too." He said, pulling away. His painted blue eyes looked Dorothy up and down, and he smiled at her. "You've become a beautiful young woman." He told her.

She blushed, before hugging him again. She looked behind him, and he looked behind her.

"Miss Glinda, you've become even more beautiful than I remember you." He told her.

"And who's this little thing?" Dorothy asked him, cutting him off.

He looked down. "Oh...she wanted to see the Emerald City, so her mother asked me to take her." He knelt down.

"My brother wasn't allowed to come." The little girl said. The Scarecrow let out a small sigh and pet the girl's long dark brown hair, before putting a straw hand on her shoulder. She clamped her mouth shut, but pouted.

"He was sick." The Scarecrow told them. Glinda moved over to the little girl, and knelt down near her. The little girl moved behind the Scarecrow's leg, looking up at her bashfully.

"Momma's told me about you, Miss Glinda." She said. Glinda smiled.

"Have I met your mother?" she asked.

"Probably not; she's just a young, naïve Winkie who wanted her child to see the Emerald City. She couldn't make the journey herself, with a sick son – he's two – so she asked me if I could take her, because she heard I was coming to see Dorothy before she went to Shiz." The Scarecrow looked up at Dorothy, and smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you." He said.

"You've been hiding from us all this time in the Vinkus?" Ozma asked politely. She had never met the Scarecrow, but had heard much about him and his kindness from Dorothy's stories.

He bowed to her. "That I have, Your Highness, working with the tribes to become united." He said.

Nissa, who had been hiding behind the Tinman at the newcomer, held herself tall as she made her way over to the little Winkie. "You're a Winkie?" she asked.

The little Winkie held herself erect also, and made herself taller than Nissa. "Yes."

"Is it mean to call where you live Winkie Country?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Oh, not this again!" said Glinda. She picked Nissa up as she stood. "Nissie, I've already told you why." She said.

"But I didn't like your answer." Nissa pouted.

The Scarecrow cocked his head. "Is she yours?" he asked.

Glinda nodded. "Seven years old, and a handful, believe me." She said.

"I'm seven, too." Said the small Winkie. "I was born in June."

"I was born in May. I'm older than you!" Nissa said, sticking her tongue out. Then she turned to her mother. "I'm older, right?" she asked.

Dorothy laughed. "Yes, you're older, Nissie." She said. The small blonde smiled triumphantly.

"She's seven...?" The Scarecrow asked, trying to do something out in his head.

"Oh, yes...she's seven and a hellion. But I love her." Glinda said, kissing Nissa. The Scarecrow shook his head, before picking up the small girl behind him.

"We should get going, I guess." He said. "I really am proud of you, Dorothy. Don't let me down." He started out, but Dorothy stopped him.

"Don't stay away for another seven years." She said, hugging him without suffocating the small child in his arms. She touched the girl's hair, playing with the dark curls. "And I'm sure you'll go to Shiz when you get older."

"If her mother can all...afford it." Said the Scarecrow, wincing. Dorothy mistook the expression, and looked at the Scarecrow.

"I'm sure she can get in on pure brains alone." She smiled lightly, before frowning. "Scarecrow, come with us to the station, and see me off, please? I know Lion's not here, but at least having you and Tinman can be there. You two are the most important people in my life when I was...well, a little older than her," Dorothy touched the girl's hair again, and she pulled away, moving her long hair onto her other shoulder so that Dorothy couldn't play with it. "and I want my family to be with me when I go, my whole family." She looked over at Glinda, who moved over.

"Yes, Scarecrow, please?" she asked. The Scarecrow nodded.

"But afterwards I must start back to the Vinkus." Glinda smiled.

"Of course; but come back here and we'll give you proper provisions." She said. The Scarecrow shook his head.

"Oh, I don't need to eat." The Scarecrow said. Glinda chuckled.

"For the child, Scarecrow."

"Oh...of...of course." He said, hugging the small girl closer to him. Dorothy smiled, before going over to her bags and picking them up. Ozma picked up her own bag, and they looked at each other.

"Ready?" Dorothy asked Ozma.

"Of course." She said. Then she turned to Dorothy, slightly uneasy. "And what about you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She said.

"I can feel it." Ozma whispered as they started out the door towards the station.

"Feel what?" Dorothy asked.

"Something's going to change this year; something...something good's going to happen." She said.

Dorothy looked up into the cloudy sky. She caught the little girl looking, too, and smiled. "I hope you're right, Ozma." She said, before excusing herself. She went over to the Scarecrow, and looked at the small girl in his arms. "You'd make a good father...I mean, if you could be a father."

"Yeah...I guess I could." The Scarecrow said, watching the little girl cuddle farther into his chest.

"She's cute." Dorothy said. "What's wrong with her brother?"

The Scarecrow lifted his eyes up to Dorothy, and shrugged. "Oh it's a...a skin thing...I'm not too good with skin problems, given my situation." He said, indicating his straw frame.

Dorothy nodded. "So, Nissa is Fiyero's?" he asked.

Dorothy looked over at him. "Yes, how did you know?" she asked.

"He was killed in my field." The Scarecrow explained, a little too hastily.

"I've always felt bad for him." The Tinman said, coming over to them as they neared the station. "He was a nice man."

"Really, you met him?" The Scarecrow asked. The Tinman nodded.

"When I was human." He explained. The Scarecrow smiled.

"He seemed a little selfish to me, but I never really got to know him, except as, well...it's not for little ears." He said, looking at the bundle in his arms.

The Tinman nodded, but shrugged, clanking slightly. "He was lucky though. I wish I knew a woman like Glinda."

"But you do." Dorothy pointed out.

"Who wasn't actually Glinda." The Tinman finished. They stopped, and he sighed. "We're here." Dorothy turned to him, and hugged him. Then she hugged the Scarecrow, before going over to Glinda.

"If you girls need anything, just send me a message and I'll send whatever you need right to you." Glinda promised as she hugged them.

"Don't forget the scarves." Nissa reminded, waving.

"How about if I wrap a book in a scarf?" asked Ozma.

"Nononono!" said Nissa, shaking her head wildly. "No books, Ozma!"

Ozma sighed, starting for the train. "Well, you can't say I didn't try." She said to Dorothy, who laughed.

"Nissa's just a little kid, still, Ozma. She'll like books eventually." Dorothy promised. Ozma cast a glance over toward the blonde child, before shaking her head.

"No, I don't think she will."

"Fine, Tip, gentlemen first." Teased Dorothy, allowing Ozma onto the train first.

Ozma hit Dorothy with one of her bags, before shaking her head. "Oh, no, isn't the Kansas way 'ladies first'?" she asked.

Dorothy shrugged. "Ozma, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." She pointed out. Ozma sighed before waving as well as she could before getting onto the train, Dorothy behind her. Dorothy stopped on the top step as the train started to move, and turned back to Glinda.

"What's wrong, did you forget something?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dorothy called, "I forgot to say thanks for everything! I'll see you at Lurlinemas!" She waved as she backed up into the train and the tik-tok doors closed. She went over to where Ozma had sat down and put her luggage away. She sat down next to the window and watched the Emerald City melt away. In less than two and a half hours, she'd be at Shiz. She shuddered, before silently prayer to God that Ozma's prophesy came true.


	2. A Most Amusing Paradox

Title: Witch of the East

Author: Aerohead

Email: in my profile

Website: In my profile

Pairing: Mention of Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda, and Glinda/OC, also has Dorothy/OC

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. Thank you for giving me the first part.

Warning: spoiler for the ending of the musical Wicked, but that's pretty much about it.

Genre: Romance, slight drama

Summary: What happened at Shiz University that made Dorothy Gale who she now is at twenty-eight years old.

Author's Notes: Wow…thanks to ElphabaGlinda, lkasjdf, and bubblesnbrooms for reviewing. I'm surprised I had three reviews so fast. It makes me happy. I'm also glad that someone figured out that the little girl was Fabala (pretty obvious), and the boy with the skin problem and his mother are Fabala's brother and Elphaba. Both are pretty obvious, but if I were reading it and hadn't written it, I wouldn't have gotten the connection. I'm just slow, I guess. But I shouldn't have underestimated you guys. This chapter's going to be…interesting, very interesting, I must say.

Chapter Two: A Most Amusing Paradox

The train ride was rather dull, with no real reasons to be explained within a narrative. The most extraordinary thing that happened was that Ozma fell asleep reading a book, and Dorothy started a letter to Glinda to let the woman know they reached school safely.

As the train slowed, and the tik-tok doors creaked open, allowing steam from the engines to waft into the cabs. They were allowed to leave their suitcases on the train, as Glinda had paid for someone – Dorothy wasn't exactly sure who in the large throng of students – to take their bags to their room once they were given it. She and Ozma walked through University Station toward Crage Hall.

"Dorothy, could you hold this for me, please?" Ozma asked, holding out a book of Unionist lectures. Dorothy took it and put it on top of the book she had used as a desk to write Glinda's letter on.

"Of course." Said Dorothy. Ozma smiled, before she started to dig through her purse, trying to find something.

Dorothy watched her friend, and didn't notice that the throng of people had spaced out quite far from herself and Ozma. There was a good five foot radius between the two freshmen and the rest of the student population. Well, the rest of the student population, sans one very tall Quadling that was walking right down the path, holding a small pile of books.

Dorothy collided with the Quadling, and both parties books went flying. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Dorothy said, starting to pick up stranger's books.

"It's quite alright." The Quadling said, smiling almost serenely as he helped Dorothy. He looked at the two books she had been holding, before moving his glasses down the bridge of his nose to get a better look at the titles. "_Great Ozian Thinkers of the Age of Wonder_?" he read, his brown eyes gazing up at Dorothy.

She blushed slightly. "Oh…that's….that….well…"

"That's mine." Ozma said. The Quadling handed it to her, and she smiled, before clutching it tightly to her chest, blushing a terrible shade of red.

"Well, what about _The Complete Works of Shakespeare_?" He asked. Dorothy took it away from him slightly regretfully, before handing him his own books.

"That one is mine." She said quietly. He smiled.

"Aren't his sonnets wonderful?" He asked. "'O that you were your self, but love you are no longer yours, than you your self here lives…'"

"'…against this coming end you should prepare, and your sweet semblance to some other give.'" Dorothy finished. "Sonnet number thirteen, right?" she asked. He nodded. She stood and he did as well. Handing Ozma her book of Shakespeare, she held out her hand.

"I didn't know you could recite Shakespeare. And here I thought you were more like Glinda than…You-Know-Who." The brunette said, biting her lip. Her best friend sent her a pleading look, before turning back to the boy.

"I'm Dorothy Gale." She said. He shuffled his books into one arm, and smiled as he shook her hand.

"I'm Merric."

"Just Merric?" asked Dorothy coyly. Merric laughed, shaking his head.

"No, Merric Caelan." He said. "I'm a senior. I'm, uh, staying at Three Queens…you know, after the Festival Month, we're – the drama club, I mean – doing _Romeo and Juliet_, if you would like to audition." He said. "You were, after all, the one to introduce the Bard to Oz, aren't you?"

"Oh, well, yes!" Dorothy smiled. Ozma sighed, rolling her eyes.

"We're just lowly freshers." She said.

"Oh, I know." Merric said, suddenly registering the other girl's presence. "And you are?"

"Oh, of course, they all know the one who killed two women, but the princess turned into a boy they forget about completely." Ozma muttered to herself, making Dorothy snort. She turned back to Merric. "I'm the Ozma Regent." She said. Merric stared at her, first with bewilderment, then interest.

"You are?" he asked, looking her over. "Well…you don't look anything like I expected you to." He looked over at Dorothy. "Neither of you are exactly what I expected, though." He smiled, before bowing slightly to Ozma. "It really is a pleasure to meet you." He said.

Ozma smiled, before grabbing Dorothy and pulling her away. "We have to find our room now. It was nice to meet you, Master Caelan. I hope we do run into you again." She said, ushering Dorothy toward Crage Hall.

Dorothy turned and watched as Merric was lost in the sudden crush of the student body that had finally realized they needed to get to their rooms and unpack. "He's kind of cute, don't you think?" she asked.

Ozma rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. If you like leeches, that is." She said. Dorothy pouted as she turned back, trying to see the tall senior in the crowd.

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"No normal person quotes Shakespeare." Ozma said. Dorothy opened her mouth to argue, but Ozma looked down her glasses at the other girl. "You are not a normal person, Dorothy." She pointed out.

"Oh…" The girls reached Crage Hall and walked inside, getting their timetables as they went through. They were assigned a room together, as was expected, and went to unpack.


	3. The Liberal Goat

Title: Witch of the East

Author: Aerohead

Email: in my profile

Website: In my profile

Pairing: Mention of Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda, and Glinda/OC, also has Dorothy/OC

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. Thank you for giving me the first part.

Warning: spoiler for the ending of the musical Wicked, but that's pretty much about it.

Genre: Romance, slight drama

Summary: What happened at Shiz University that made Dorothy Gale who she now is at twenty-eight years old.

Author's Notes: Bah. Well, today's my birthday. Sorry if I'm not jumping for joy, but it's rather bittersweet to turn seventeen and have to go back to school after Christmas break AND to have to go to a Confirmation meeting. Bah, humbug I say. Well, I'll stop complaining and just write; I may be able to get my frustrations out on Dorothy. This chapter will be short, since I don't know when I have to leave for class.

Chapter Three: The Liberal Gazelle

Shiz was like something Dorothy had only imagined. She loved every minute of it, even if the teachers babied her and coddled her. She seemed to have a lighter workload than Ozma, but since Ozma was taking sophomore courses in their freshmen year, she pinned the workload situation to that.

There was only one class she did not like. They had just fired old Professor Nikidik, and in his stead, they had hired a Gazelle who had recently moved back into Oz after the Bans were lifted.

The Gazelle was Professor Iri Timin, a Gazelle who was born in Quox. He had moved to Oz to be a professor of History after the Bans were lifted, and had taken it upon himself to teach students the 'real' history of Oz, along with being the Briscoe Hall headmaster. His favorite subjects in his lessons were either the secession of the Vinkus and what events in history had led up to it, or Animal Rights – or the lack thereof – and how they affected all citizens throughout the country.

And his teaching style confused Dorothy more than ever. He liked to assign essays where a student would have to sit in a quiet place and imagine themselves as a citizen of Oz during something that happened. For instance, their newest assignment was to imagine themselves as a spectator in the Emerald City the day Madame Morrible, the Wizard's press secretary, announced that Elphaba Thropp was, officially, a 'Wicked Witch'.

"It can't be that hard to imagine fear and panic." Ozma said, looking up from her Life Sciences book.

Dorothy had her face screwed up in concentration as she tried to imagine the fear the Witch of the West had inspired in her when she was ten. Suffice it to say, it was not working very well. She threw her hands up in exasperation, and glared at Ozma. "Well, if it's so easy for you, why aren't you in Timin's class?"

Ozma went back to her book. "He teaches Life Sciences, too. I am in his class, just not the class you have him for."

"Brat." Muttered Dorothy, trying to concentrate. Something hard hit the back of her head, and she opened her eyes to glare at Ozma. The startling conclusion, however, was that Ozma was staring in utter annoyance at the door that was behind Dorothy; Ozma was, in fact, sitting on the bed in front of the young Kansas woman.

"I thought you girls would like a break from studying." Said Merric. Dorothy turned and smiled at him kindly, before standing. She picked up the small book of poetry he had thrown at her, and handed it to him.

"Well, it would be nice."

"Your essay, Dorothy." Said Ozma.

"It can be done later, Ozma." Dorothy turned and sent her best friend a sickeningly sweet smile. She turned back to Merric and her smile became more relaxed. "Just give us five minutes to freshen up."

Merric nodded and smiled at both girls. "I'll see you two, then, I hope?" he said, before allowing himself out. Dorothy closed the door behind him, and leaned against it.

"Isn't he something, Ozma?" she asked, rather melodramatic.

Ozma rolled her eyes and went back to her book. "He's _something_ all right." She muttered.

Dorothy looked at her in utter horror, before straightening and walking over to her dresser. She took out a new, deep blue skirt and a white blouse, before picking out a deep purple skirt and another white blouse. She threw the deep purple skirt and one of the blouses at Ozma.

Ozma looked up from her book, scowling. "What was that for?" she demanded. Dorothy looked at her innocently.

"What? Should we go with the blue for you, then?" she asked. "Really, Ozma, I don't care, I think I look good in either, but you're always the stuck up one about these things. It may be because you were born a princess, and I was merely assigned the part…"

"Dorothy, shut up." Ozma said. Dorothy stared at her friend. "I'd rather not go flounce in front of a brat Quadling who wants nothing more out of us than to say he knows the right people and is with the right crowds."

Dorothy crossed her arms. "Really, Ozma, you can be so…racist at times." She said, lips pursed, before she started to undress. "I mean, it's just harmless flirting, and within a year he'll be gone, while we'll still be here. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun. And maybe we can make friends through him; he's a member of the theatre troupe, Ozma, so he must have some good connections. You know most of the students in the theatre troupe are well-to-do."

Ozma just settled back into her book. Dorothy pouted, but got no response. She brushed her hair quickly and looked at herself in her mirror. Satisfied, she started out of the room. Ozma sighed and stood, taking her book with her. "I am not allowing you to be naïve about the men of our society." She muttered.

"I don't need a chaperone." Dorothy said as they made their way down the stairs toward the doors of Crage Hall.

"Of course you don't." Ozma said, sounding tired. They reached the grounds and looked around. At a small study table near a large Quoxwood, Merric was sitting with another boy in his class. The girls made their way over to them and sat down. "Hi, Merric; who's your friend?" Dorothy asked.

Merric closed the book he and the other boy had been reading and smiled. "This is Shell. Shell, this is Dorothy Gale."

"_The_ Dorothy Gale?" asked Shell, though he didn't sound as thoroughly impressed as Dorothy had hoped.

Dorothy smiled anyway, to hide her hurt. "Why, yes, I am." She said. The conversation died. She turned to Ozma, but the girl was already tucked into her book. Again. "So…Shell?" she said. The brunette turned his gaze toward her. She smiled nervously, having hoped that Merric would intervene and she wouldn't have to actually ask the boy a question. "That's…an odd name, isn't it? Where are you from, originally?"

"I was born in Quadling Country, but I lived in Colwen Grounds. Apparently I was named after a friend of my mother's, to some extent." He shrugged, leaning his chin on the heel of his palm. "Do you have any siblings, Dorothy?"

Dorothy looked at Shell, flustered. "Well…no. My parents died when I was young, and I lived with my mother's sister until I was ten or so, when I came to live here, permanently."

"Ah." Shell said, nodding to himself.

"Why do you ask?" Ozma said, not looking up from her book. Dorothy took some pride in detecting the protectiveness in her friend's voice.

Shell shrugged. "No reason."

The quiet bloomed again. Dorothy was going out of her mind trying to find some thread of conversation. "You know, you and Shell actually have something in common." Merric said. Both parties looked at the Quadling as if he were insane. "No, it's true. You were both orphaned."

Dorothy looked up, surprised. "Really?" she said. "When did your parents die?"

Shell shrugged. "My mother died in childbirth, and my father died about eight years ago." He said, not batting an eyelash. "I lived with my sister for a year – well, when I wasn't at a boys' school."

Dorothy looked at Shell curiously. He hadn't batted an eyelash talking about his parents, but when the subject of this sister came up, his eyes averted from her and his cheeks tinged with pink.

Merric, however, was ready to explain with a light-hearted pat on the back to Shell. "What I meant was that he's the only living member of his family. He had two sisters; they died within three weeks of each other."

Shell's lips pursed and he stood. "I'll see you later, Merric. I have some Government homework to finish if I want to graduate early." He nodded. "I'll see you some other time, Miss Gale. But Professor Timin is a very hard teacher, and he's the only one I need to pass in order for my early graduation." He smiled at Ozma, who looked up at him over her book, before he walked away.

Merric rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Shell can be a little…touchy, at times." He said.

"Why does he want to graduate early?" asked Ozma, putting her book down.

Merric smiled and leaned back. "Well, he's twenty-one. When his sisters were…er…died, he took a year off to set their estates in order. Since he's the only living member of his family, he had to make sure that their last wills and testaments were carried out correctly. He loved his sisters very much, even if they were older than him, so after seven years, it's still a rather hard subject for him. I shouldn't have brought it up." He smiled wanly, before standing. "I'm going to go make sure he's fine. Dorothy, would you like to have dinner with me tonight, perhaps?"

Dorothy smiled. "Of course." He nodded.

"I'll pick you up around…eight?" He waved and ran off, leaving two very confused freshmen watching him go.


End file.
